Manukau Harbour & West Coast fishing

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote SAND GROPER Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 11 Sep 2024 at 7:58pm
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nice haul of fish, excellent work

when the boat is back from service i am out there, hope to see some fish like that
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (1) Likes(1)   Quote seahunter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Sep 2024 at 2:52pm
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Got out again yesterday over low tide for another mixed bag. Lost what felt like a real decent snapper when the line broke at the hook.... Damn!
No trevally for us today, but spoke to someone at Cornwallis getting the boat out and they got a couple and were fishing pretty close (500m) from us. Go figure. Water temp 15.1c too

I said last post that I hope Kingfish would be here soon.... Well bugger me, first fish of the day was a 55cm Kingie Shocked Ate a straylined pilchard. For a small fish it put up a great fight!
Plenty of small 25-30cm snapper, and we took a couple of decent pannies home. Flicked the softbaits round in less than 2m of water and had fun on some absolutely massive kahawai. Real donkeys. Biggest is 63cm and FAT as. Great fun, and great eating too.

I'm used to free diving for my scallops, but I've gone soft apparently
Tried a dredge for the first time in some of my old spots, without much luck. Got a dozen or so, 3 legal. Very poor condition though, so no point yet, still too early.
Any tips on using a dredge? Big smile


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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Snappa Geoff Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Sep 2024 at 5:13pm
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Nice Seahunter! 63cm Kahawai getting up there! Would win most measure comps easily... Thanks for Report.Beer
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (1) Likes(1)   Quote smudge Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 13 Sep 2024 at 9:34pm
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Yepp another great catch there Sea Hunter. PM sent
Best gurnard fisherman in my street
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (1) Likes(1)   Quote BananaBoat Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Sep 2024 at 6:40pm
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This came up on one of my fb pages today

This photo from the 1940s shows the catch taken by two fishermen who went out from Huia. They fished off Awhitu and took this catch in two hours

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Schecter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Sep 2024 at 8:21am
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A late post.  I hit the Manukau last Thursday.  I wanted to take advantage of the fine weather window.  I recently fitted a bixpy motor to my kayak and it's made a helluva difference to staying on top of the fish while the tide is in full swing.  

The weather was perfect, the fishing was not.  I was catching lots of small kahawai, and I even caught a small snapper.  I was probably the only angler on the water up until midday.  I also saw a boat perched on the rocks at Weymouth.  It was an odd sight to see, but glad to hear no one was injured.

Water temperature was recorded at 15C. 
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Schecter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Sep 2024 at 8:23am
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Kevin.S Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Sep 2024 at 10:39am
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Originally posted by Schecter Schecter wrote:

https://www.stuff.co.nz/nz-news/350423362/clarks-beach-capsize-man-admits-charges-manslaughter-after-mum-and-son-died

Very tragic to read.

They described him as an "experienced skipper", yet according to the statement of facts he broke just about every rule in the book.  Very sad that lives were lost in a completely avoidable tragedy.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote out2sea Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Oct 2024 at 5:59pm
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Has anybody been out recently and have some intel on the harbour?
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote smudge Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 15 Oct 2024 at 7:08pm
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No. I have had a few problems with me boat but that is all sorted. Here's what I know: trevally are fishing really well over the scallop beds, gurnard are still around in numbers in the shallows - probably thanks to the run of cold weather but expect them to disappear real quick. Some great snapper about, not in huge numbers but in good size and condition. I expect kingfish to start turning up soon. This weekend coming is looking really good for the coast - especially Sunday. Don't mess about, head SW out from the bar and go straight to 60m. It will be epic! 

OK well I'll let you know Sunday evening hehe
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote smudge Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 16 Oct 2024 at 9:35pm
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The coast is looking very flash for the weekend. 1.0m swell and no too much chop. The harbour wont be as pleasant but the northern side should be fairly sheltered. If you're prone to phoning in sick on Mondays then the forecast is looking as good as it gets.

At this stage Big smile
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote Helmsy Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Oct 2024 at 2:18pm
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Originally posted by smudge smudge wrote:

The coast is looking very flash for the weekend. 1.0m swell and no too much chop. The harbour wont be as pleasant but the northern side should be fairly sheltered. If you're prone to phoning in sick on Mondays then the forecast is looking as good as it gets.

At this stage Big smile

Hey smudge, just after a bit of advice re. chasing snaps out over the Manukau - figured you'd be the one to ask being a regular out that way!

I've been out over the bar a fair bit, but always in summer and always chasing (largely unsuccessfully) marlin, and have never actually been for a snapper fish out that way. Looking to change that on Sunday afternoon, I saw your comment about heading SW in around 60m so will probably look to head that way but being new to it just a bit unsure on how to approach fishing it.

Are you trying to mark some fish on the sounder initially and then drifting through them with ledger/flasher rigs? Or just picking a likely looking area and dropping the anchor? And if anchoring, is berley the way to go or just a recipe to be plagued by sharks?


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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote rowboat bob Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 17 Oct 2024 at 6:54pm
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I'm sure Smudge will reply , but in the meantime , definitely no burley. Flasher rigs with 10 oz sinkers . Big fresh baits or my fav. salted skippy. Big Jigs, jitterbugs etc.   Drift if the wind is light enough otherwise anchor.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote smudge Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 18 Oct 2024 at 6:30am
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Hi Helmsy, Rowboat Bob's method is as good as any and is probably the most popular method used.

We do it a little differently. While we will have a tootle around looking for fish sign we won't be too bothered if we don't find any if it's spring time. With little structure there is nothing to really hold fish. By using baits the fish will come to us once a few baits have hit the bottom. They way I see it is imagine two similar sized areas, one that's flat with say 20 snapper in it randomly spread out. That's the west coast The other sea floor is the same size but has a couple of rocks scattered around it, with the same amount of snapper congregated around each of the rocks. That's how I imagine the Hauraki Gulf mostly. Of course that's just my analogy and nothing quite like it really is but my point is that there is little to hold a bunch of fish in one spot - there's just a heap of them all spread out all over the place.

Anyway, after all that BS we always anchor and generally use light gear. I use 10lb braid with a 20lb leader for jigs and I'll use 60 to 120g jigs in those depths. If I use baits which I generally do, I'll tie a 60 to 80lb trace, usually just a two or single hook dropper with an 8/0 recurve hook. We tend to use just single hooks these days. We use 4 to 6oz sinkers.

Just with jigs and softbaits, they work very well at this time of the year, but from an anchored boat once the fish find your baits, as long as your mates are still bait fishing the snapper will smash your lures.

As Rowboat said, burley is great but be prepared for tope and kahawai to turn up.  Burley will get the fish in quicker but yeah there is a price to pay and we use it more when fishing the shallows, but once the fish get a whiff of your baits  they generally stick around. On a good day it's not too uncommon to  bin up in an hour or so - especially with heavier gear and 2 hooks.

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (1) Likes(1)   Quote smudge Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 19 Oct 2024 at 10:23am
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Change of plan, heading out tomorrow, last night it looked just a tad too windy for today.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (1) Likes(1)   Quote Hightower Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 20 Oct 2024 at 5:59pm
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Was time constrained (again) today - after a late start leaving home @ 11 we decided not to go all the way to 60m, stopping by some kahawai, birds and dolphins at about 40m. Fishing wasn't too bad at all - first fish was a nice kingy for my father-in-law, then a steady stream of pannie snapper (up to about 40cm). Very sobering talking to fisheries at Cornwallis - no-one with undersize fish, but reports of a sunk boat and drowning on the bar - very sad news indeed
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote smudge Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Oct 2024 at 5:33am
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We were also out yesterday Hightower. We had our radio on Channel 5 and didn't hear anything of the tragedy until a mate told us.

We went to 60m and there was a steady stream of snapper to keep us busy. We had a couple of fish around 40cm but mostly they were 50cm+ I didn't measure any of them but biggest was around 12lb or a bit more so we were happy. Arron got bitten off 4 times, we think by baracoutta. I had one tope that was huge and was a bit of a grind trying to get that in on the light gear.

I pulled the hook on one snapper about half way up and that felt like a really good fish. No kahawai at all and we managed three gurnard also.

Despite the forecast the sea was pretty lumpy out at 60m but in closer it was magic. The harbour and bar were as flat as.
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (2) Likes(2)   Quote seahunter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Oct 2024 at 5:02pm
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Got out early this morning for a quick fish over the change of tide. Fishing was surprisingly good given the size of the tides. Thought we were doing well with a 45cm snapper, when my wife caught an absolute donkey of a snapper with the softbait. Went 56cm and FAT. Stuning fish for the harbour. Took 5 Snapper and an unlucky Rig for fish and chips home. All in less than 7 meters of water too.


A usual stop on the sandbanks to give the dog a run around. Its quite surreal being in what feels like the middle of the harbour surrounded by water.

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Post Options Post Options   Likes (0) Likes(0)   Quote BananaBoat Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Oct 2024 at 7:39pm
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Nice fish there seahunter
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Post Options Post Options   Likes (2) Likes(2)   Quote Schecter Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 21 Oct 2024 at 9:36pm
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I did a 2-hour mission at the local and landed a Trev with some salted mussel and a 5/0 circle hook.

I was fishing in the shallows and the signs are looking good. The fish were hungry, considering that I was fishing during the day. It was the most action I’ve had in the harbour since April.

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